Soccer “minnows” hit back at German idea to weight FIFA votes

For the head of Pakistani soccer, a German proposal to change the one country, one vote system within the sport’s ruling body FIFA would not only be undemocratic, but also deal a major blow to nations struggling to develop the game domestically.

Faisal Saleh Hayat’s views reflect a broader backlash against proposed reforms put forward by Germany this week to give soccer powerhouses a greater say in who runs FIFA as it grapples with allegations of bribery.

Outgoing FIFA president Sepp Blatter ruled the powerful body for 17 years, aided by votes from less prominent soccer nations that received development funds aimed at promoting the sport.

In a May election, he won 133 votes from 209 member associations, easily beating his only rival despite the disclosure of U.S. indictments on corruption charges of a number of past and present FIFA officials. Blatter resigned a few days later as U.S. and Swiss investigations into corruption within FIFA widened.

“If tomorrow one member association is going to be more equal than the other, then of course that is going to raise serious issues, and that would not be good for world football and that would not be good for FIFA,” Hayat said on Thursday.

“First and foremost is the basic principal of equality,” the president of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) told Reuters in an interview in Islamabad.

Hayat, who like most Asian member countries supported Blatter last month, was unapologetic, saying that without his and FIFA’s backing, Pakistan would not have received the financial support it has over the last decade or so.

Those views were echoed by Football Kenya Federation vice president, Robert Asembo.

“Africa (member countries) always vote for the candidate with the best development plan for the continent,” he said.

“Africa is still a virgin with a lot of untapped potential, and we will look favourably at people who can enable us to reach where European countries are,” he said.

The views from so-called soccer “minnows” reflect a rift within FIFA that has deepened since U.S. and Swiss authorities announced their investigations.

Pakistan has a population of 190 million, but lies 170th out of 209 in FIFA’s rankings, and soccer is hampered by cricket’s dominance, security threats and a lack of infrastructure.